


fields in may

by bonis



Category: Stranger Things - Fandom
Genre: (it’s not really mentioned but better to be safe than sorry), Anorexia, F/F, F/M, Highschool AU, Self Harm, angst if you squint, billy is a piece of shit, idiots to lovers, slowburn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-09
Updated: 2019-07-09
Packaged: 2020-06-25 05:54:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19739644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bonis/pseuds/bonis
Summary: max does not want to be in hawkins. el does not want to be alive. fate doesn’t listen to the whining of teenage girls.





	fields in may

the second she heard the telltale sound of banging on her wooden door, max instinctively assumed the worst. it's not like billy had ever bothered her for opinions on the latest edition to his collection of denim jackets, or offered to do something mundane with her in california. she lay the books she had been unpacking gently down on the dresser, and reached to undo the bolts. leaving a trail of dust in its wake, the door flung open and revealed her step-brother looking into her eyes with an expression like thunder. mockingly, he shook his car keys a few centimeters from her face, revelling in how she flinched from the sudden movement.

“you know what happens if you’re late.” he said, pushing off from the door and walking towards the main living area in their freshly renovated “family” house.

“walking home, i know.” she breathed back, grabbing her skateboard and shoving it into her backpack halfheartedly. “I heard you the first twenty times.”

turning on her heels to see billy and his father engaged in half hearted conversation, she felt a sudden strike of adrenaline. the bruise on her wrist from their last family outing still stung when she jabbed at it, and the idea of being in a car with billy’s father created a pit of dread in her stomach.

prising open her bedroom window, she analysed the jumping path. the shed was directly underneath her, which would break her fall, but was metallic and the sound would surely resonate through the house. from there, she’d have about a minute and a half to get off-road before he jumped into his chevrolet and began pursuing her.

the second her vans collided with the shed roof, the ear spluttering crack sealed her fate. it was less than a few seconds until she heard billy rattling her door, so she made her way to the ground and sprinted for the surrounding foliage. 

one of the perks of hawkins, middle of nowhere, was that there was enough nature to give the town a “rural feeling” (as opposed to a ghost town, which she had pointed out when the idea of moving was first introduced). the trees lining their neighbourhood were enticing in their darkness, so she headed straight for the beaten path.

it was dark, quiet, and empty, so the urge to take her time was overwhelming. the woods enveloped her, the birds playing a siren song to draw her in further. it wasn’t until she heard the revving of an engine faintly in the distance that she snapped back into reality. 

brown leaves crunched under her feet in time with her ever-quickening heartbeat. she contemplated running away for good, but decided against it when her bag revealed to only have half of a bottle of water, a bag of nerds and her unused student ID. the beacon of hawkins high was shining right on her, anticipating her arrival on monday. each footstep resulted in another intrusive thought that echoed in her mind. with each car that passed near the edge of the woods, she shivered with anxiety. would this be the straw that finally broke billy? his anger on a good day was horrible, and the fact she’d dare inconvenience him on the day of her meeting wouldn’t sit well with him. 

a prewinter breeze travelled through the air, and max shuddered a little. the weather was nice, crisp, and was the kind of day where you could still wear shorts without regretting it instantly. suddenly, rock music blasted through the trees as a car halted about thirty meters away from her. she halted, a deer in headlights. there was a small hollow in a tree she had just passed, so she took cover. the sap slowly seeped towards her as she breathed shallowly. the car door didn’t open, to her disbelief, and she heard his loud string of cuss words as he turned the corner.

to her left, the trees began to clear, and very faint red bricks began to form in her vision. the closer she walked, the more details began forming. a general store! a large sign plastered “melvalds” advertised a sale, and the personal touch of the store showed that this was a local business. before moving, max didn’t even know local stores still existed, but she couldn’t recognise a single chain store from her home in california.

it sucked. the town clock struck 3, it’s tall stature ruling over the civilians below. her mom would arrive home at 5, and it was unlikely anything bad would happen if she arrived home after that. two hours to kill in a town like this would be the equivalent of two days back home, so she counted her change and pushed open the doors of the store.

a blast of cold ac air bombarded her as soon as she entered. her white shirt rippled with the contact, and she pulled at the red collar as she awkwardly looked through the shelves. a stress ball in the shape of an apple caught her eye, and she wondered if it would be an appropriate joke to make at a family dinner. her attention flickered to the selection of dungeons & dragons books they had stocked, before scoffing at their mediocrity and moving to the next isle.

the options of food were as can be anticipated of a general store, limited but plentiful simultaneously. her hands grazed over a few things, longing to try them, before her mind reprimanded her and she skipped to the next thing on the list. she settled on a strawberry yogurt pot, and bought a second one as a precaution. it was a given that she would probably avoid heading home until absolutely necessary, and it had already taken her half an hour to reach the store. 

she was turning it over thoughtfully when a mousy woman, all decked out in the company uniform entered the area and started stocking shelves. max tried to subtly fix her hair and adjust the hem of her trousers - not being noticed was the first thing she learnt in her new household. the woman seemed just as taken aback to see her too, but still let a smile invade her rosy cheeks.

“good choice! personally, i prefer the blueberry, but those ones are super too.” she said, pointing at her nametag. “my name is joyce, have we met before?”

max shook her head nervously, “we just moved.”

“well, i’m lucky to be one of the first to meet you! we don’t get many new people in these parts.” she said, her hands busy with the new stock.

max idly waited for her to finish her task, then headed around to the registers.

“that’s three dollars for them both. are you sure you need 2?” she asked jokingly, and max stiffened. noticing the reception, joyce backtracked and offered to slip her an extra one secretly.

“my name is max. thank you for the food.” she said, and she packed up her things and prepared to leave.

“well then, max, i hope you have a great day!” joyce said, the smile never faltering as she watched the girl leave the store. it was contagious, and max found herself mimicking the action. it was nice to finally have something to smile about, with her social interactions for the week limited to the hargrove family and a librarian. it was nice to feel fresh air on her skin, and to see the last strands of the years sunlight graze paint the cobbled pathways of the main street. it was still uncanny to hear birdsong instead of beach waves, but it was a pleasant day and she took the time to appreciate it. in truth, the past week had felt like a shitty vacation, with max on near house arrest and the bgm of her life being billy’s boombox.

her feet carried her mindlessly, through the streets of the town to a small bench, behind the public library. it was secluded, and sweet, and hidden from view. the ideal spot for her to just relax and eat her yogurt while she waited for the inevitable storm to hit. a small cluster of blue flowers decorated the grass, a trace of colour in the ocean of green. a flower patch lay ahead, filled with yellows, pinks and oranges. they shimmered in the autumn sun.

the bushes once again rustled, and a pair of shimmering eyes peeked through at her. crystal blue, like the ocean. it was a girl, she assumed, but her hair was short enough to create speculation. she was pretty though, with freckles dotted over pale skin like a painting. she blinked, and her face seemed to blink too, a brief pause in its workings before resetting.

“not trying to be rude. but i’m trying to study next to that window,” she said, gesturing to a window a floor above ground level, “and all i can hear is crinkling and you’re going to drive me insane. please.” each of her words was punctuated weirdly, accents in the wrong place, as if each of her words were chosen carefully in advance.

max opened her mouth to snap with something equally ‘sassy’ and confidence-destroying, but found herself halting the second she met the girl’s eyes. the word wow formed itself on her lips, and she caught it just before it spilled over.

“i’m really sorry for distracting you.. i’m new in town and currently i’m trying to hide and this seemed like a good place and i didn’t see the open window and i’m sorry-“ she rambled awkwardly, becoming self aware of her own foolishness.

“its either california or oregon, the accent gives it away.” the girl commented.

“yeah. california.” she said longingly.

“well then, goldie from the golden state, welcome to hawkins! im el, it’s nice to meet you.”

“i’m max, i’m a junior-to-be at hawkins high. it’s nice to finally meet another teenager too!” she bubbled excitedly, unable to withhold her emotions any longer.

“well, this was fun!” el said, picking up max’s bag. she walked off with max’s possessions in tow, not looking back to assure herself that she was following.

“hey, i need my stuff!”

**Author's Note:**

> yeah, it’s short. it’s been a long time since i’ve written fic (2 years!!) so i’m trying to ease myself back into it over summer!
> 
> comments, kudos and critisim are always appreciated!


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